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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 July 2000 Issue No. 490 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 July 2000 Issue No. 490
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Focus International Economy Opinion Interview Interview Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters An explosive mystery
By Fatemah FaragMaadi residents living in the outskirts of the suburb are well accustomed to being shaken up every once in a while. This is the price they pay for living close to stone quarries that service various industries, including nearby cement factories, reports Fatemah Farag. Last week's explosions, however, went beyond acceptable limits. "It was around mid-day on Tuesday [4 July]. The glass windows were shaking but the noise was more frightening -- a bang, like it was the end of the world," said Sayeda, a housewife and resident of Zahra'a El-Maadi suburb.
According to the National Earthquake Network (NEN), which monitors natural phenomena as well as the industrial use of explosives, the explosions of 4 July registered 2.1 on the Richter scale. "The important aspect of last week's activity is not necessarily the vibrations that went through the rocks, which we can monitor, but the air vibrations which we cannot monitor. The loud noise meant that most of the explosive energy went into the air. This can affect buildings and break glass, and the sound also terrorises people. For hours after the explosions, our telephone lines were jammed by people calling in. They were panicking and searching for answers," explained Ali Toayleb, head of NEN.
Yet, Toayleb could not offer them a full explanation. "In the case of the cement factories, for example, we are given a timetable of their explosive activity, which includes information on the quarries where the explosions will take place. We then monitor the vibration and calculate the effects of the explosion, taking into consideration factors such as the distance between the quarry and inhabited areas. This system ensures that explosive activity never exceeds safe levels. In the case of the privately-owned stone quarries, however, this is unfortunately not the case," he said.
Shaq El-Te'eban: hills eaten away by quarry activity tower over an explosives storehouse
photo: Mustafa El-Sinousi
Toayleb pointed an accusing finger at the quarries in Shaq Al-Te'eban. In this area, situated directly opposite the Zahra'a Al- Maadi residential suburb and extending into the desert towards Qattamiya, limestone factories dot a dusty wasteland of white stone hills. "We should be notified of the types of explosives that are being used and how they are being used. We do not know which government authority is responsible. I would like to seize this opportunity to urge all concerned authorities to take this matter in hand," added Toayleb.
These quarries are the responsibility of the Quarries Administration of the Cairo Governorate. According to Karam Saber, director of the Land Centre for Human Rights which has been monitoring various aspects of quarry activity, the governorate leases out plots of land to private contractors, but for the most part they go about their work unsupervised.
The damage caused by these quarries, however, goes beyond frightening neighbourhoods with explosion noise. Workers employed in this dangerous activity are often minors. Consequently, they work informally for minimal wages and enjoy no legal labour protection. "People are working in hell, literally, but no one cares," lamented a foreman at Shaq Al-Te'eban, who requested anonymity. Behind him, a group of little boys covered with white dust were toiling amidst the stones under a harsh sun.
An accepted part of the job, many workers noted, is inescapable hearing damage. "Yes, working with explosives is dangerous and where we work is very harsh, but an even bigger problem is that, on many days, I cannot find work," said Fathi as he sat in the shade of a nearby mosque with a group of unemployed quarry workers. Above them was a sign which read, "Workers are available here."
On the site, Al-Ahram Weekly was informed that explosive activity in the area is under the direct supervision of the government which schedules the activity of each quarry, distributes the explosives and sends officials to monitor the process.
"The hills here have been quarried out. Once, when the hills were high, they muffled the sound of the explosions. Now there is nothing to keep the sound from resounding into neighbouring areas," explained Gamal Ramadan, who runs a marble factory on the site of a depleted quarry. "All the quarry people eventually will have to move in the direction of Qattamiya as a result." he predicted.
Close to Shaq Al-Te'eban, which has been active for at least 10 years, are pristine new buildings. Many of these structures do not yet have inhabitants. One wonders whether or not urban planners and land developers gave a thought to safety. These buildings stand precariously close to an obviously dangerous activity. Whatever happened last week is still unclear, but it seems obvious that greater attention needs to be paid to the state of the quarries, their workers and urban planning in general.
